Driving: Alleviate Texting And Driving

1035 Words5 Pages

Cellphones and Driving: Alleviate Texting

Growing up, I remember the exciting feeling of being able to drive. For me it was a sign of independence. What I didn 't know was that it could easily become a nightmare waiting to happen. Over the last few years the use and need for cellphones has grown steadily. We need them to stay in contact with our love ones, for business, for directions etc. Texting and driving is one of the biggest issues in the United States. Drivers are endangering the lives of themselves and others. Which is why I believe that stricter laws should be created and enforced. I believe reducing the amount of fatalities and accidents rest solely on stricter enforcement of laws. For instance enforcing stricter laws for gun control …show more content…

For one, people would be more focused on the task at hand, which is driving. If drivers know that there are consequences for texting and driving, they will become more cautious. Many states have banned texting and driving or using the phone while driving. The first state to ban texting was Washington in 2007. As of today, 46 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands all ban texting while driving. Only 14 states prohibit drivers from using handheld cell phones while driving. There aren 't any states the ban all cell phone use for all drivers, but 38 states and D.C. ban cell phone use for novice drivers. Drivers read the statistics but then ignore them. There are many commercials, ads, books, and flyer with messages about the dangers of texting and driving. So if something so influential as the media can 't stop texting and driving what can? If not media then stricter laws. Stricter laws should help drivers realize that there are consequences for distracted …show more content…

Enforcement of laws will save many lives. Most states have primary enforcement which means that an officer can pull you over and give you a citation even if there are no other violations. With this being the case many people argue that it can cause even more accidents. They argue that due to the prediction of drivers lowering their phones. That outcome may be possible, however the issue of texting and driving cannot be ignored. This prediction alone does not justify why laws should not be enforced. In order to prove that the driver was actually texting the officer may need to get phone records. Enforcing laws has worked in the past with the seat belt law. You may be familiar with the "Click It or Ticket" campaign. "The Click It or Ticket" enforcement campaign is the most successful campaign ever. I think that there should be a designated day out the month for officers to enforce the texting law. Upon realizing that there are officers enforcing this law, drivers will become more cautious and put their phone